Category: Web Reviews

Ah, the idealism of youth… There’s something truly refreshing (and yes, at times, frustrating) about the effervescent optimism on display by young people. They look at the world, see a problem (perceived or real) and set out to change things. Of course, most of their efforts end up on the pile of broken dreams, but […]

Back in the Dark Ages, before we started Rare Bird and before I was creative director at an advertising agency, I was a salesman. My personality being what it is, I read a lot of books on sales. Two, in particular, stand out in my memory as being best in class: Harvey Mackay’s “Swim with […]

It seems like everyone is an expert at something. We have automobile experts, stock market experts, antique experts… we even have a client who’s a sheep and goat expert. This abundance of experts in all fields butts up against a point of friction with the Internet, where information is clamoring to be free (or pretty […]

Would you sell a piece of history? Let’s just say, for the purposes of this discussion, that you were in possession of a piece of history with a generally healthy market value. A 1884 Carson City $20 gold coin … the original handwritten notes from the Gettysburg Address … or, say, the baseball that Barry […]

I had a boss once who was infamous for his adages. Uniquely appropriate (or not) for nearly every situation; he rarely failed to have one of these nuggets immediately at the ready. True, he would occasionally misfire, tossing off a “let’s throw it against the wall and see what sticks” when the situation may have […]

I just read the words “worm poop” in the Wall Street Journal. This is slightly disturbing for a number of reasons, some that have to do with journalistic integrity and others that have to do with general business practices. But mainly because it’s raised my interest in a classic underdog story. “What does this have […]

I was in the car the other day with my wife and kids when one of the twins, who is just over two years old, said, “I want to take your picture, Mommy.” So my wife handed her her cell phone, and Abby began saying, “Say ‘cheese’, Mommy. Say ‘cheese’, Grace.” About the same time […]

Is there any stronger marketing message than a testimonial? Probably not. Companies like Angie’s List and organizations like the Word of Mouth Marketing Association will tell you that testimonials are peerless. If a couple of Indianapolis residents have their way, cities like ours may soon agree. A few months ago, Pat Coyle, Director of Database […]

This might sound odd, but one of the things I love most about the work I do is the time spent learning about other businesses. It’s fascinating to me that there are companies out there providing all manner of products and services for things that we rarely think about. Those little washers inside my faucets, […]

I’ve had quite a few odd things crossing my desk recently, none of which require much attention by themselves, but, taken together, are worth a mention. They deserve some attention because at the heart of each is an idea; sometimes a great idea. The first is probably the greatest idea of the bunch, and it’s […]

In this cubicle world in which many of us live, power comes in a variety of forms. You might be the one has the key to the copymachine, or maybe you can just catch a glimpse of an outside window if you lean back in your chain and crane your neck to the left… Thepoint […]